How insect submariners survive the depths without imploding
Researchers have discovered that lake fly larvae in Lake Malawi use air sacs containing resilin to survive extreme water pressure at great depths. This finding challenges the long-held scientific belief that insect respiratory systems are incapable of withstanding deep-sea pressure.
Why it matters
This discovery provides new insights into biological adaptation and explains how certain insects can thrive in environments previously thought to be uninhabitable for them.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Excised Chaoborus edulis air sacs. Credit: Philip Matthews Deep-diving insect larvae are challenging a long-held idea about why there are almost no insects in the ocean, thanks to sturdy air sacs. In Lake Malawi in East Africa, billions of lake fly larvae (Chaoborus edulis) make an unusual commute: By day, they sink more than 200 meters (656 feet) into the lake's oxygen-starved "dead zone" to hide from predators. By night, they rise to safely feed—but not before passing through a horde of waiting fish.
UBC researchers Dr. Philip Matthews and Dr. Evan McKenzie deployed a sonar system at the bottom of the lake to map these daily dives.
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